Plastic Waste Problem

Over the past few years, million tonnes of municipal waste were sent to landfills in the UK.

It is estimated that UK households throw away 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging a year, averaging 66 items per household per week. Those are mainly food packaging items, such as snack bags and vegetable trays. It is believed that almost half of all UK plastic waste is incinerated for energy recovery, with 25 percent landfilled and just 12 percent recycled in UK reprocessing facilities, the remaining is shipped abroad. The UK does not have infrastructure to deal with the amount of plastic waste being polluted. Some countries are placing a ban on waste imports giving the UK government the urge to invest in recycling infrastructure and new technologies.

Plastic can take centuries to decompose, which is why there are growing concerns in the UK about plastic waste pollution. The UK government has already adopted recent policies in the combat to the scourge of plastic waste, such as carrier bag charges. This has significantly reduced the number of carrier bags in supermarkets. Scotland has also implemented the ban of single-use plastic cutlery and coffee cups. Last year in 2022, there was a tax introduced on plastic packaging that doesn’t consist of at least 30% recycled content. To conclude, the plastic waste is becoming a major problem over the years and recycling is the best way to combat this problem.